


Far Beyond the Horizon

by orphan_account



Series: RitsuKasa - Cursed AU [2]
Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bittersweet Ending, Developing Relationship, M/M, The Author Regrets Everything, The death isn't very major but i still have to tag it, the Author Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:08:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25792621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: "Ritsu-senpai...? What are you doing out here so early in the morning?"Tsukasa's voice - it had rung through his ears so suddenly and had interrupted his train of thought.“... Just watching.” Ritsu replies, his voice soft, too soft. He watches the sky slowly turn from a bruised purple, to an angry red softened with a light blue, as the sky becomes lighter and the sun barley peaks out from the skyline known as the horizon.“What for?” Tsukasa asks, solemnly.“Dunno.”-(sequel to "Imagine".)
Relationships: Sakuma Ritsu/Suou Tsukasa
Series: RitsuKasa - Cursed AU [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1871035
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	Far Beyond the Horizon

**Author's Note:**

> hnngh i'm here to finish what i started because otherwise it would make me feel bad if i didn't. it did take me a while, but i finally figured out what i wanted to do with this AU.
> 
> to give context for the beginning, it's supposed to be the morning after tsukasa stays overnight at the sakuma's shrine (a.k.a. the place where we kind of left off with the last fic)
> 
> also just mentioning it now, but this doesn't go too deep into tsukasa's curse like i had originally planned it to, it's mostly focusing on their relationship as a whole.

Ritsu stands by the seaside, watching the ocean lap against his shoes. It pulls in and pushes out again, a watery whisper that barely washes the sand away.

Out on the sea, far, far out on the sea somewhere, there's a boat. Ritsu wonders if they will ever find it.

The time for mourning and guilt is long over. That doesn't mean Ritsu can't still feel bad, for the things he'd miss.

"Ritsu-senpai...? What are you doing out here so early in the _morning_?"

Tsukasa's voice - it had rung through his ears so suddenly and had interrupted his train of thought.

“... Just watching.” Ritsu replies, his voice soft, too soft. He watches the sky slowly turn from a bruised purple, to an angry red softened with a light blue, as the sky becomes lighter and the sun barley peaks out from the skyline known as the horizon.

“What for?” Tsukasa asks, solemnly.

“Dunno.”

He does, in fact, know.

He's watching for those sails. Those white, fluttering sails, to come over the horizon once more with a cry of ‘Ritchan!’. To come home.

But as much as Ritsu hurts, he knows it hurts Mao ten times as much, ten times as deep.

All he can do is wait.

"Ritsu-senpai, are you alright? You seem more... _despondent_ than usual."

"I'm fine, don't worry about me ... " he turns his head to show Tsukasa a small - slightly melancholy - smile of reassurance. "But what about you? Are you feeling well? I don't remember waking you up before I left the shrine."

"Yes, I am faring just fine. I usually wake up at this hour on my own."

"Is it because of your ... ?"

"Pains ... ? Ah, certainly not. They usually don't come around until later in the afternoon."

"Doesn't it hurt? ... " Ritsu turned his body to face Tsukasa, who wore a confused expression, so he tried again. "Doesn't it hurt knowing your pain is inevitable? There's nothing you can do about it except for endure it, after all."

" ... Perhaps." Tsukasa answered with a stoic tone as usual and stared off into the sky. The strong winds of the early morning blew from behind him, almost as if it were a scene straight out of a movie, and Ritsu couldn't help but stare at him.

"I believe it is going to rain soon from the look of those clouds. Shall we head back?" The red head spoke up again, gesturing to the gray clouds starting to roll into the lovely scenery of the sky.

"Ah, you're right. Such a shame ... " Ritsu let out a small sigh, already starting to walk away, and expecting for Tsukasa to follow. "How was last night for you? Did it feel any different than from the comforts of your own home?"

"It ... it felt a little strange, but not in the way I had expected. It still bewilders me at how you and Sakuma-san can live in such a place."

" ... We manage. After all, even if we wanted to move out, we wouldn't be able to afford it. ...Unless I kick that annoying bug out, his living expenses are too high for the half baked effort he puts into bringing money home for us."

"Is it really money that is your _problem_ ... ?" Tsukasa asked, deciding to ignore the fact that Ritsu had just suggested the idea of leaving Rei out on the streets.

"Well, yes, that's part of it."

"And the other part?"

"It's ... not important. Besides, Suuchan will come and visit me when he's having problems, so it isn't so bad."

"You say it so _nonchalantly_ ... as if my family isn't paying you millions[*1] to keep me alive for as long as possible."

Although it had been true that the Suou's were the only source of income for the Sakuma's, it was normally an unspoken topic between the two.

"Yeah, but ... I like spending time with Suuchan either way. If I didn't like you, I probably would've let you die by now." Ritsu showed him a joking smile, trying to lighten the mood.

" ... I don't appreciate your sense of humor, Ritsu-senpai." Tsukasa's cheeks puffed up in annoyance, which Ritsu found cute.

"It's just a joke, Suuchan~ Besides, it's not like you'll die anytime soon. I won't let that happen."

"How can you be so sure of that?"

"There's a lot of things I'm not sure about, but I made a promise to keep you alive the first day we met, right? I’m a careless guy, but I keep my promises to the death."

* * *

Tsukasa was tired of it all.

Tired of the doctors, tired of the medical appointments, tired of the countless remedies and the empty promises of a better future.

For the past twelve years of his life, his family had probably wasted an entire fortune trying to "fix" him. He'd gone to countless numbers of doctors, all telling him the same thing, about how everything would get better eventually.

All he wanted was to live a normal life. He'd envied all the other kids around him for being able to go outside and do whatever they pleased while he was in immense pain almost all the time.

It wasn't until they'd gone to a well known fortune teller - at this point they'd try anything - for advice. Tsukasa could only remember the faint symbols of the sign on the dark purple tent that read something along the lines of "Sakasaki".

It was a relatively small place as Tsukasa assumed they didn't attract many people due to fortune telling seeming to be a curse nowadays. Despite that, the woman who worked there did have a son, his name was Natsume.

It would be difficult to forget them, they spoke in a weird way. Their word of advice however would be to visit the healing shrine of the Sakuma's, not too far off from Tokyo. So they did just that, and were greeted by a boy named Sakuma Rei.

Tsukasa didn't really like him if he was being honest. He gave off a creepy vibe, and made the boy feel slightly uncomfortable. However, he was thankful that Rei was to speak to his parents while the appointment was going on, for if he had spent another moment with him he probably would've passed out.

He'd been directed to a room with a single stool that he was told to sit on and wait.

A different boy had come back with a bucket of water and some cloths.

He looked a little similar to Rei - they were probably related, Tsukasa assumed. He seemed younger, perhaps closer to Tsukasa's age.

Presenting himself with a warm smile, he introduced himself as Sakuma Ritsu. Almost immediately, Tsukasa could tell that he wasn't like any other doctor he'd visited before.

"I can't promise that it'll do much, but I hope it can relieve you of some of your pain." He'd taken one of the cloths with disinfectant on it, lightly dabbing at the fresh wounds that had formed on Tsukasa's arm.

His voice was soft, and the kind, gentle words he'd used had eased the younger of his built up stress.

"It might hurt a little bit too."

A little bit was an understatement, Tsukasa decided. Although he wanted to run away from all the pain, Ritsu seemed desperate to help him unlike everyone else who had just ignored him when he was in immense pain like this before.

About an hour later, Ritsu had finished covering all of his wounds, including the ones on his back. In that time Tsukasa had become slightly numb to the pain, although it still lingered.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Not as much..." was his quiet reply.

Ritsu let out a sigh of relief before asking, "Hey, how old are you?"

"Twelve."

"Ah, really? We're close in age then, I'm fourteen. What about your name?"

"Suou Tsukasa."

"Hmm. I've heard that surname before ... "

"It wouldn't suprise me. My family is quite—" he winced slightly before continuing, " _influential_."

"I see... well, I hope you don't mind if I give you a nickname~"

"Huh? A nickname ... ? Isn't that a little ... childish?"

"Nope, and you're still getting one either way~" Ritsu gave the younger a couple headpats before going back into deep thought.

Tsukasa sighed and stared at his hands which were gripping onto the stool tightly - something he hadn't realized until now.

"Suuchan." Ritsu finally spoke.

" ... Suuchan?" Tsukasa looked up from his hands to see Ritsu giving him a stupidly proud smile.

"From now on, your nickname will be Suuchan."

"I ... I would prefer it if you just called me by my actual name—"

"Aaah, stop whining, okay? Suuchan is a cute name anyways."

"I guess so."

"You do know about the whole ... being cursed bit right?" Ritsu seemed hesitant in asking the question.

"Yes, I have been aware of that for ... a long time."

There was a moment of silence before Ritsu decided to break it.

"I care about you, Suuchan. Honestly. As long as you're with me, I won't let you die." Ritsu showed him a small - slightly melancholy - smile of reassurance.

"You _promise_?" Tsukasa perked up from the stool and turned to face him.

"It's a promise~♪" Ritsu outstretched his pinky finger and linked it with Tsukasa's smaller one.

* * *

"Oh look, we're back already." Ritsu stepped into the shrine, with Tsukasa still following behind him quietly. "Do you need something to eat?"

"No, I'm fine."

"What about something to drink?"

"Tea would be nice."

"Hmm ... I think I still have some from that traveler Anija has been seeing lately ... Kaoru-san, I think."

"Like ... Hakaze Kaoru?"

"Something like that." Ritsu shrugged it off, he didn’t like to meddle in his brother's private affairs. "Do you know him?" He asked while digging through a cabinet.

"Not personally ... my family just does trading with his."

"I see ... " Ritsu finally found what he was looking for and held it up in triumph. "Fooound it~♪"

Ritsu sat at the table in the center of the room and started to make two cups of tea for them, while Tsukasa watched. The red head was mesmerized at how skillful he looked while doing so.

"Hmm? Don't you know how rude it is to stare at people, Suuchan~?"

"I-I wasn't _staring_ at you...!" He became flustered, to the amusement of Ritsu and the frustration of Tsukasa.

"Sure, sure~" Ritsu was happy to be having such a casual conversation with someone. The last time he'd been able to do so was with Ma—...

...

"Ritsu-senpai, are you alright? You're making 'that' face again ... "

"Huh? What do you mean by that, Suuchan?"

"It's the same look you were making on the beach earlier this morning. I ... I might not ever be able to return all of the favors that you've done for me over the past few years, but ... if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm always willing to listen."

" ... I've just been thinking about someone dear to me lately, that's all." Ritsu poured the chamomile tea into two cups and slid one over to Tsukasa.

Tsukasa took it with a small 'thank you' and blew on it. "Oh, I see. Is that it?"

Ritsu peered out the entrance of the shrine, seeing drops of rain starting to fall from the sky. It was slow at first, but it didn't take long for the rain to become heavier.

"Yes, that is all."

* * *

Ritsu hates it.

He hates that he still isn't able to help Tsukasa, he hates that Tsukasa has to be so kind about it, he hates that despite the hell Tsukasa has been through he's still understanding.

...

He hates how much Tsukasa reminds him of Mao.

Isara Mao - his childhood friend. Both hardworking and smart, it was obvious that he had a whole life of good fortune ahead of him ... until that day.

...

"Don't worry, Ritchan. I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Okay~ But you better keep your promise to come back." Ritsu gave him a pout, he really didn't want Mao to go on the trip with his parents, but what was he to do?

All he remembered were the sails of the ship blowing in the wind as Mao waved goodbye, for what neither of them knew would be the last time.

He'd learned about the accident from Rei, who'd told him of the funayūrei attack on their ship.

"It wasn't as if it could've been prevented." He said, but Ritsu heavily disagreed.

After that day, Ritsu changed.

He'd just given up, after all, what's the point in living anymore if you have no one to live for?

But now, he does have someone to live for.

When he first met Tsukasa, he thought it was strange at how similar to Mao he was (save for the wealthy background). Tsukasa was a weird individual, he decided that pretty early on.

He was quiet for the most part, or at least whenever he visited Ritsu for their weekly (sometimes daily) meet ups.

After a while it didn't take long for him to realize the vast differences between Mao and Tsukasa.

While Mao was very generous, Tsukasa seemed to be the exact opposite (especially when it came to snacks). Greedy was a strong word - but it fit.

He would often try to hide this "shameful" side of himself from others, although Ritsu thought it was cute. It was a reminder that he was more than just the demon child. It was a reminder that he was a human too, who had desires and dreams just like everyone else in this wretched world.

Tsukasa was Tsukasa and as much as Ritsu wished for Mao to return one day, and as much as he hoped Rei was lying to him - he wouldn't trade Tsukasa for it.

Ritsu could be offered any sum of money, or the promise of a lifetime that secured a good future for himself - but at the price of his dear friend, he would decline it instantly.

What did he feel for Tsukasa anyway? Was it guilt? Pity? Sorrow?

He didn't know, but what he did know was that he never wanted Tsukasa to leave his side. Was that too much to ask for? If he cured Tsukasa someday - would the redhead leave him alone after that?

All these questions were what kept him awake as he laid in bed, each and every night. He'd started to lose sleep over reading old books to find a cure, sometimes even pulling all-nighters just to find something ... anything.

Something that would give Tsukasa what he wanted - a normal life.

* * *

"Are you ready to go home now?" Ritsu had returned from the kitchen where he left the two empty cups for Rei to wash (courtesy of Ritsu making him do all the house work) and sat down at the table across from Tsukasa.

"Hmm? Oh, uh ... not quite yet. It would be best to wait until the rain stops, _correct_?"

"You're right, and that means I get to spend more time with Suuchan~" Ritsu grinned before reaching across the table to poked Tsukasa's cheek in a playful manner.

"Hnngh .... please don't touch me so much." Tsukasa was quick to swat his hand away with an annoyed glare.

"Ehhh~? Is Suuchan trying to say he doesn't like me touching him? Hmm ... but you seemed to enjoy it when I used to give you headpats, you know? I'm getting mixed signals here." he rested his head on the table and looked up at the redhead with a teasing smile.

Tsukasa couldn't deny it no matter how hard he tried - he really liked it when Ritsu would be physically affectionate with him. Maybe it was because it was something he lacked when he was younger, but whenever Ritsu did so much as to headpat him or praise him - he always felt overwhelmed with happiness.

"It's not that ... ! I just ... " the redhead was at a loss for words and his face grew red from embarrassment.

"You what, Suuchan? If you have something to say, you should speak up a little more~"

"N.. now you're just teasing me at this point!" Tsukasa covered his face with his hands and turned away from Ritsu.

"Aww, Suuchan is so cute~♪ I think as a reward, you deserve headpats." Ritsu crawled over to Tsukasa's side of the table and pulled the younger into a gentle embrace before patting his head - as if he was a small, helpless child.

Sometimes he couldn't help but think that way about Tsukasa. He was just a child, one who grew up way too fast. He'd seen the horrors of reality far too early in his life than he should've.

It was horrifying to think that Tsukasa is just a boy - two years younger than himself, carrying the burden of this lifelong curse on his shoulders.

Was he scared of dying? That was the underlying question Ritsu had. Of course, death was inevitable for everyone but ... it could only make him wonder if Tsukasa would be able to have a peaceful transition into whatever afterlife he received, or one of ...

Ritsu could only begin to imagine what was waiting for Tsukasa.

Soon enough, the headpats turned into Ritsu's hand softly moving through Tsukasa's hair, gently as possible. Even without looking down Ritsu could feel Tsukasa's movement still and all he could feel was his body slowly moving up and down with every breath he took.

"Goodnight, Suuchan~♪" Ritsu whispered into his ears as the redhead felt his eyes start to close on their own accord.

" _Goodnight_ , Ritsu-senpai ... "

Ritsu doesn't know if he'll ever be able to cure Tsukasa of his curse, but what he does know is that as long as he's still alive, Tsukasa won't die.

He wouldn't let it happen.

**Author's Note:**

> twt: [@rittsukasas](https://twitter.com/rittsukasas?s=09)
> 
> [*1] = the conversion of yen to dollars is a lot so a million in yen would be something like $9,440 or €8,008
> 
> someone hug me :(
> 
> thanks for reading!  
> and sorry abt killing mao ahahaha,,,


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